Adult film production to resume after HIV test found to be false positive, industry group says

A voluntary moratorium announced Thursday on adult film production has been lifted, a porn industry group announced Friday, after follow-up testing of an actor suspected of having HIV came back negative.

“The performer does not have HIV…production on adult film can resume safely,” the Free Speech Coalition said in a statement, saying an initial test had been a false positive. A number of other “first generation” performers -- actors and partners who had sexual contact with the actor -- were tested as a precaution, and all those results came back negative, too, the statement said.

The Free Speech Coalition had called for the industry-wide moratorium after routine screening of the unidentified actor came back positive for HIV.

According to rules established last year by the trade group, actors must undergo HIV testing every 14 days to be cleared for work.

“We understand that a moratorium is nerve-wracking for performers and difficult for producers,” the organization’s statement continued. “However, it’s essential that when it comes to performer safety, we err on the side of caution.”

HIV and other sexual health issues have become the subject of vigorous debate in recent years. In 2012, Los Angeles County voters passed a law requiring condom use on porn sets.

A similar measure stalled in the Legislature this summer.

At least two other moratoriums on pornography production have been called in about a year. Of the cases in which performers tested positive, all were determined to have acquired the virus off-set, said Diane Duke, chief executive of the Free Speech Coalition, and no transmission occurred to other actors on-set.